Snow
by imjustpeachee
Summary: Donatello has never liked the snow. Maybe a certain human girl can make him rethink that.


Donatello had never been a real fan of snow. What was so special about it anyway? All it meant was that the atmosphere's temperature was cold enough to freeze the hydrogen bonds in every water molecule. He was freezing too, even under the copious amounts of uncomfortable clothes he was wearing.

So what was he doing knee deep in the frozen fluff?

"Hey guys what about this one?"

Donnie turned to the beautiful redhead as she pointed at an enormous fir tree. The cold air gave her pale face a gentle flush as flakes of snow clung to her red hair like a frozen halo. Donnie's breath hitched.

This was why. Just to see this stunning girl with her flashing smile, her delicate figure dancing across the frozen landscape, her gentle gaze warming every inch of him. Grinning like a fool he trudged through the cold snow and looked at the tree.

"It certainly is…big," he said lamely.

_Real smooth Genius_. He chided himself. _Captain Obvious strikes again._

April smiled at him, making his cheeks flush, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

The rest of his family trudged up to the massive tree. Leo stood silently by Master Splinter who stroked his beard in contemplation. Mikey's eyes were as big as dinner plates as he stared at the tree. Raph and Casey stood together, each holding an axe over his shoulder. Raph stepped forward.

"April that thing is almost as big as the house!" he said skeptically.

April pouted. It had been difficult to convince Master Splinter and her friends to spend Christmas out of the city at her family's farmhouse. And now that she had finally convinced them, she wanted everything to be perfect. Just like this tree.

"Oh come on Raph," she said teasingly. "Don't think you can handle it?"

The hothead's eyes narrowed at her. Gripping the axe in his hands he strode forward.

April grinned. Raph really was easy to bait.

"Stand back April," he said, hefting the axe over his shoulder. "This tree is goin' DOWN!"

"Uh Raph…" Donnie took a step forward.

"Can it Braniac!" the hothead grunted, bringing the axe down heavily against the massive tree trunk.

FWUMP!

A huge drift of snow dropped from the tree's branches, covering the red-banded turtle, leaving nothing showing but Raph's flailing arms.

Struggling, the angry Raphael managed to wriggle his top half out of the new snow bank, spluttering vague curses.

Everyone was trying their best not to let their laughter show, snickering behind their hands as a vain attempt to muffle their giggles. Well…all except one.

"BWAHAHAHA! Dude!" Mikey gasped clutching his sides. "It's a real live Raph-sicle!"

Glaring, Raph managed to wriggle the rest of his body free from his chilly confines.

"Shut it Mikey," he growled.

"No wait! It's the Abominable SnowTurtle!" Mikey screeched, nearly bent double, with tears leaking from his eyes.

Donnie snorted behind his hand. Raph had a bit of snow still sitting atop his head like some kind of green snow gnome. It really was comical he had to admit.

Raph's piercing gaze whipped around to the purple turtle. Eyes narrowed, Raph bent low to the ground…

WHACK!

Donnie stumbled back as the snowball hit right between his eyes. Raph bent over in fits of laughter.

"Ha ha oh man…your face! Ha Ha!" Raph wiped tears from his eyes.

Narrowing his eyes, Donnie ran some calculations. Pulling some loose snow together into a compact sphere he waited. If he timed this just right he could…

"HRGFF!" Raph spluttered as Donnie's snowball landed right in his gaping mouth.

"Pft!"

Donnie's head whipped around to see April barely stifling a giggle behind her hand. She looked at him and smiled, making his skin flush. Suddenly, the snow didn't seem so cold.

"That's it Braniac! You're DEAD!" Raph roared as he launched himself at the purple ninja.

Donnie barely managed to dodge the red-banded turtle's grasp, slipping and sliding over the cold ground.

"Wait! Raph! You started it!" he cried out.

"Yeah well I'm gonna finish it!" the hothead yelled.

"Hey Raph!" called a voice.

"What?!"

THWACK!

The red ninja blinked as a snowball smacked him in the forehead. Donnie's eyes grew huge at seeing who the culprit was.

Letting out peals of laughter, April ran up beside Donnie.

"There!" she said triumphantly. "Now it's finished."

A feral grin spread across Raph's face as he bent low to the ground, scooping up a great drift of snow.

"Oh no April," he smirked. "This has only just begun!"

Pulling back his arm, he launched a huge snowball at the pair. Both ducked and prepared to retaliate when they head the snowball make contact.

"HRK!"

Everyone froze as the snowball dripped off the ends of Master Splinter's whiskers.

"S-sensei?" Raph stammered softly, taking a step back in fear.

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

April Donnie and Raph sputtered as three well-aimed snowballs knocked them back into the freshly fallen snow.

"Indeed," said Master Splinter with a grin. "This has only just begun!"

Flying forward, the ninjitsu master whipped his tail, sending a flurry of snow over the youngsters, earning him a yelp from his youngest.

"Aw yeah!" shouted the orange banded turtle. "Free-for-all!"

Soon the clearing was a filled with flying snowballs and laughter. Even the stoic Leo was grinning from ear to ear.

"Think fast Donnie!"

Donnie had just enough time to turn and see the snowball hurtling towards his face. _Why is it always my face?!_ He thought in exasperation. Closing his eyes he waited for impact. What he felt instead was a hand grasping his scarf and yanking him down.

"Watch it Don!"

Donnie's eye grew huge as he saw April pull him down behind the log he had been standing by. Her small fingers burned against his chilled skin. He crouched down beside her, his breath fogging across her neck. Did she realize how close they were?

"Come on Donne! Let's show these guys not to mess with us!"

Donnie felt a huge grin plaster itself on his face. She wanted to team up with him! Well who was he to decline such an offer? Eyes glancing to the side he saw the hollowed out form of a tree limb.

"April," he said excitedly. "I have an idea!"

Meanwhile the snowball battle of the century was still raging beyond the two teens' hiding spot.

Raph and Casey had teamed up trying to nail the crafty Leonardo as he leapt through the trees. Mikey was flipping through the air avoiding the hailstorm of snowballs his sensei flung at him, giggling as the cold projectiles smashed against tree trunks rather than their intended target.

"Gotta do better than that Sensei!" Mikey cried as he landed on a tall rock. "Get ready for payback! BOOYAKA-HRF!"

Mikey spluttered as a huge snowball splatted right in his face. Where had that come from?

Leo was laughing at the increasingly frustrated Raph and Casey. They had been trying to hit him for over five minutes and still they missed.

"Come on guys!" he taunted. "You're never going to hit me if you-ack!"

Leo hopped up and down as a snowball slipped beneath the top of his shell. What happened?

Raph and Casey burst into laughter only to be hit by two more snowy projectiles. Red-in-the-face, they rushed to their feet, looking for the perpetrators.

Behind the log, Donnie and April were roaring with laughter.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" April gasped, clutching the makeshift snowball launcher Donnie had constructed. "They were priceless!"

_Not as priceless as the look on your face my Snow Angel._ Donnie thought. _Snow Angel?_ He asked himself. _That's almost as good as Sweet Chinchilla!_

Maybe the snow isn't so bad he thought happily. Just look what it let him do! He was here with the girl of his dreams, playing together and even teaming up against his brothers! Nothing could ruin this!

WHUMP!

Suddenly Donnie's vision was flooded with white, and biting cold completely enveloped him. _What happened?_ He thought frantically. Fighting to free himself, Donnie poked his head out of the huge snowdrift that had enveloped him. Glancing over to the side, he saw Master Splinter had struck the tree beside his and April's hiding spot, depositing a large dump of snow on them both.

"Cough cough – aw c-come on M-master Splinter!" the redhead stuttered beside him. "That wasn't fair!

"All is fair in Ninjitsu and snowball fights," the tall rat chuckled. Reaching out a paw, he helped pull the young girl free.

Donnie managed to wriggle himself out of the snow, but not without a shiver or two. Glancing at April, he couldn't help but notice the slight blue tinge to her lips and slight shiver in her shoulders.

"M-maybe we sh-should take a b-break," he said, teeth chattering. "W-we can get th-the tree l-later."

"Of course my son," Splinter said. "Let us return to the farmhouse."

"Aw c'mon Master!" Raphael whined. "Just 'cause those two can't handle a little frozen water doesn't mean we can't!"

The rest of the youngsters nodded eagerly in agreement.

Smiling indulgently, Splinter inclined his head.

"Very well Raphael," Splinter said. "Since the rest of you clearly can handle 'a little frozen water' you all can help me shovel the road to the farmhouse."

Raph gaped at his sensei before reluctantly trudging behind the ninjitsu master, grumbling under his breath.

Donnie turned to April with a shaky grin.

"G-guess we should g-get back to the h-house," he said.

"D-don't turn int-to a Turt-sicle" she teased, as she began to trek back to the warmth of the farmhouse.

…...

Donnie could feel pins and needles in his fingers and toes as his cold skin came into contact with the warm air in the farmhouse. He had hastily built a fire in the fireplace, hoping to ward off the lingering chill of their snowball fight.

He and April were sitting in the living room under piles of blankets, each clutching a mug of Hot Cocoa. Shyly, he looked over at the girl sitting across from him on the couch. Her blue eyes reflected the dancing firelight, making them seem like living gems. He could get lost in those eyes. The same eyes that saw beneath his scaled green skin, or his goofy gap tooth. Those eyes that made him feel almost…normal.

Blushing he looked back down at his half-drunk cocoa. He was getting carried away again. She saw him as a friend yes, but that was all…wasn't it?

The red-haired teen caught the subtle glances the purple-banded terrapin was sending her way. If it weren't so dang cute she would have laughed. Donnie had always been shy, even after years of their friendship. It was something she found endearing and just a little sweet.

"Boy we really showed those guys huh?" she said with a laugh.

Mahogany eyes lifted to her own, as the young boy grinned back.

"They literally didn't know what hit them," he laughed.

"I couldn't believe how easy it was to get Leo!" April grinned. "And did you hear that sound he made?"

"Yeah!" Donnie laughed. "So much for ninja stealth!"

The two collapsed into laughter again wiping tears from their eyes. Donnie couldn't help but bask in the ease of their friendship. April made him feel special. Like he was more than just a brainy ninja. Not that that wasn't special. Because really, how many ninja's could hack into government files, let alone the fact that he was a turtle? No, April made him feel like there was something more to him; something that only she could see.

"Brrr," April shuddered under her pile of blankets. Donnie looked over at her concerned. Placing his cocoa on the table, he leaned forward towards the human girl.

"April?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," she said, her teeth chattering. "Just c-can't seem t-to get warm."

"Wait right here," Donnie said. "I'll get you some more blankets"

"No!" April said forcefully. "I-I mean…do you think I could…just share with you?"

Donnie's eyes grew huge. What did she say?

"I mean…y-you are cold t-too right?" she stammered nervously, looking into the depths of her cocoa. "If we just combine what we have…"

Donnie could only nod his head vigorously up and down. With shaking hands he unwrapped his blankets from around himself. Putting her cocoa down, April hesitantly leaned up against Donnie's side. Quickly, Donnie wrapped them both in the extra blankets, creating a cocoon of warm wool around them both. With a sigh April relaxed, letting her head rest on Donnie's shoulder.

"Much better," the girl sighed quietly, shutting her eyes. After a few moments her slow steady breathing told the purple ninja she had fallen asleep.

Blushing hard, Donnie tried to keep his mind from overloading. April was on the couch with him. She was on the couch, leaning against him. She was on the couch, leaning against him with her HEAD ON HIS SHOULDER!

_That's it, I've died and gone to heaven_, he concluded. _There is no way this is actually happening right now. It's a dream. Yeah that's it! A really crazy awesome dream!_

Looking down at the top of April's head a thought came to him. Since this was a dream, he could probably be a little less shy right? Hesitantly, Donnie shifted his arm. Slowly he reached around April's shoulders, pulling he closer to him. Feeling happier than he ever had before, Donnie leaned back into the couch, holding the girl of his dreams.

_Yeah_, Donnie thought. _This is a crazy good dream._ And with that thought still firmly in his head, he too began to doze.

…

CLICK!

A bright flash brought Donnie quickly to the forefront of consciousness. Blinking harshly, he saw the blurry outline of Mikey come into focus.

"Aw look at the two turtledoves!" the bubbly ninja cried. "Don't they make a cute picture?"

Donnie's eyes jerked down to his side. A bleary eyed April was slowly getting up from the warmth of his side. Blushing hard he froze as the girl stretched from out under the blankets that had encased the two of them. It wasn't a dream! It was real!

Blinking a bit more, April too realized what Mikey had said. A pink tint flew across her cheeks as she shyly glanced up at Donatello.

_Did she regret what she did?_ He thought frantically. _Did she even realize what she did?_

Looking up into Donnie's eyes she only gave a small smile. _She DID know!_ He thought incredulously.

"Come one you two lovebirds!" Mikey said with a grin. "Unless you want another picture of you guys!"

Donnie's eyes snapped to his youngest brother.

"MIKEY!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet.

"Aw c'mon D!" Mikey squealed as Donnie frantically snatched at the camera held in his hands. "You guys were too cute!"

April could only giggle at the antics of the two brothers. She didn't regret what she did. If anything she had enjoyed it. Standing up she stretched again, glancing around the room.

"Mikey," she said. "Where is everybody?"

Mikey landed lightly in front of her, with Donnie hot on his heels.

"Woah hold up D!" he said holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Everyone is outside. Have a surprise for you April!"

With that he dashed to the front door, before leaping out into the front yard. April looked at Donnie with confusion. A surprise for her? What in the world could that be?

Hesitantly the two teens made their way outside and down the porch steps.

"This way guys!" Mikey called pointing to the dark unlit barn. Without another word he dashed inside.

Making their way through the snow April and Donnie halted just at the doorway to the barn. It was so dark.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Suddenly a myriad of colored lights lit the room revealing the towering fir tree April had found earlier that day.

April gasped.

Giant paper snowflakes hung on the boughs, reflecting the multi-colored lights that adorned the tree. Colored orbs hung like metallic bubbles that danced in the light. It was perfect.

With a squeal April launched herself at her friends and gave them all crushing hugs. After all they had endured this past year, this tree, this holiday with her friends was more than she could have ever asked for.

"You guys!" she said, wiping tears of joy away from her eyes. "You guys are the best friends and family a girl could ask for!"

Donnie still standing in the doorway, smiled as Master Splinter gave a warm hug to the human girl. She deserved this. She had helped them all in so many ways, he was just glad that she could get something in return.

"Aw right y'all!" Mikey shouted. "Let's get this party started!"

Rushing over to the workbench, Mikey powered up the stereo Donnie had salvaged, blasting Christmas music throughout the barn. The rest of the family turned to the generous array of food laid out and began to enjoy each others company.

April skipped back to Donnie's side, a flurry of white flakes dancing around her.

"Thank you Donnie," she said, positively glowing with gratitude.

"But I didn't do anything April," Donnie said sadly. "I didn't give you anything."

Sadly he looked at the ground, wishing he had thought of something for her.

"It's not too late you know," the girl said shyly. "My lips are kind of cold."

Donnie looked down at her confused. What did she mean?

Suddenly, Donnie felt soft lips upon his own. _What?!_

April's eyes were closed, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, teetering on her tiptoes as she kissed him.

Her soft lips against his own were like silk, as he felt his eyes slip closed, reveling in the warmth of April's kiss. He could still taste the chocolate from the cocoa on her, and he had to say, it tasted so much better this way.

April O'Neil was kissing him! He could die a happy turtle now.

CLICK!

"AWWW! So much love!"

Quickly the two lip locked teens broke apart, both blushing furiously. Donnie blinked before shouting.

"MIKEY!"

Running after the orange turtle Donnie couldn't help but grin. You know? Maybe snow isn't so bad after all.


End file.
